The Wangfujing Cathedral (王府井天主堂), also named St. Joseph's Wangfujing Cathedral or to the locals, Dongtang (东堂, the East Cathedral) is a historic Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 cathedral located in downtown Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, near Wangfujing

Wangfujing

Wángfǔjǐng , located in Dongcheng District, Beijing, is one of the Chinese capital's most famous shopping streets. Much of the road is off-limits to cars and other motor vehicles, and it is not rare to see the entire street full of people. Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty there have been...

. A small church was first established in 1653 on the open grounds by the Jesuit Father Lodovico Buglio

Lodovico Buglio

Lodovico Buglio was an Italian Jesuit mathematician and theologian, a missionary in China.-Life:He was born at Mineo, Sicily, 26 January 1606; He entered the Society of Jesus, 29 January 1622, and, after a career as a professor of the humanities and rhetoric in the Roman College, asked to be sent...

. Later several earthquakes and wars gradually destroyed the church. It was rebuilt in 1904 as a Romanesque

Romanesque Revival architecture

Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...

 cathedral, with strong pilasters and one high and two low vaults displaying a grandiose architectural style. After the restoration in 1980, the church reopened.

The large concrete plaza in front of the cathedral is a popular skateboarding

Skateboarding in China

Skateboarding arrived in China at the end of the 1980s, imported by a Japanese teacher at Beijing Sport University whose students began its popularization. Domestic skate companies and retailers began to appear at around the turn of the century, bringing the average price for a skateboard of...

 location in Beijing.

See also

• Wangfujing
  Wangfujing
  Wángfǔjǐng , located in Dongcheng District, Beijing, is one of the Chinese capital's most famous shopping streets. Much of the road is off-limits to cars and other motor vehicles, and it is not rare to see the entire street full of people. Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty there have been...
  
  
• Xizhimen Church
  Xizhimen Church
  The Xizhimen Church , or Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic Church located on the southern side at n.130 of Xizhimen Neidajie in Beijing. It is commonly referred to as Xitang to the locals.The Xizhimen Church was the last among the four historic Catholic churches in...
  
   (Xitang)
• Xishiku Cathedral
  Xishiku Cathedral
  The Xishiku Cathedral , commonly referred to as the Beitang is a historic Catholic church in the Xicheng District, Beijing, China...
  
   (Beitang)
• Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
  Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing
  The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing , also known as Nantang to the locals, is a historic Roman Catholic Church located in Beijing, China...
  
   (Nantang)
• Jesuit China missions
  Jesuit China missions
  The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world. The missionary efforts and other work of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a significant role in continuing the transmission of...